Heathcliff
"''We crowded round, and over Miss Cathy's head I had a peep at a dirty, ragged black-haired child; big enough both to walk and talk: indeed, its face looked older than Catherine's; yet when it was set on its feet, it only stared round, and repeated over and over again some gibberish that nobody could understand. I was frightened, and Mrs. Earnshaw was ready to fling it out of doors: she did fly up, asking how he could fashion to bring that gipsy brat into the house, when they had their own bairns to feed and fend for?" -Chapter 4 '' Mr. Heathcliff, or Heathcliff, is the main protagonist and anti-hero in Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights. He is the central character of the novel and who can often be described as both a romantic hero or a ruthless villain. His main plot in the novel involves with his intense romantic relationship with the woman he had lived with as children and plotting revenge on everyone that had been hard on him during his youth. Description Heathcliff is known to be a mysterious character as his backstory outside of Wuthering Heights is unknown, such as his birth or how he had earned his fortune. Storyline Child/Early Years at Wuthering Heights Heathcliff was a homeless young orphan living on the streets of Liverpool in the mid 1770s. He was discovered by Mr. Earnshaw when he was in town and takes him home to his house Wuthering Heights in Yorkshire, where he was baptized and named Heathcliff after a son who died in infancy, and becomes part of the family. Heathcliff was originally a quiet and solitary child and was rather overlooked and resented by the rest of the family, while Mr. Earnshaw treats the boy with love and kindness as his own son. Heathcliff soon becomes close with Mr. Earnshaw's young daughter Catherine while the Earnshaw's son Hindley is bitterly jealous and resentful to Heathcliff mainly because he received more affection and attention from his father. At one point, Heathcliff and his foster siblings become ill with the measles, but was nursed back to health by the family servant Ellen Dean. She, too, disliked Heathcliff upon his arrival to the Heights, but soon began to have affections of him after he recovers. Heathcliff and Hindley always had a hostile relationship with each other ever since he came into the family, such as the one time Mr. Earnshaw purchased two horses for each of his sons. Heathcliff picked the most attractive horse, but when it falls lame, he wanted Hindley's horse, but fights with him when he doesn't have it and when he does, Hindley threatens that he hopes the horse would break his neck. The Earnshaw matriarch dies less than two years after Heathcliff's arrival. Heathcliff and Catherine's relationship began to develop into romantic soulmates as they grow up. They would spend most of their time roaming around the Yorkshire moors where they live. At this time, Mr. Earnshaw was now old and dying, and Hindley was at college. With his opposer gone, Heathcliff became more closer to Catherine as they continued to spend much of their time alone together. One night, the two were in the sitting room surrounded with their ailing father, and he dies. Heathcliff and Catherine grieve their father's death but they comfort each other, thinking that Heaven is a much better place for him. Upon Hindley's return to the Heights and becomes the new owner, Heathcliff receives even more cruel and abusive treatment at the hands of his foster brother. His education was cut off and was forced to work in the fields, but manages to seek solace by sneaking out into the moors with Catherine as usual. One night, the pair go over to the nearby house Thrushcross Grange and began to spy on the Linton family's spoiled lifestyle. They watch, gawk and laugh as the Linton's two children Edgar and Isabella are having an argument but quickly alert their parents when they spot Heathcliff and Catherine. The two try to escape, but Catherine is bitten by the Linton's guard dog. He refuses to leave her behind and even tried to pry open the dog's jaws to free her. As she was brought into the house, Heathcliff tries to go inside with her, but the Linton's, disgusted by his appearance and think he is a thief, ask him to leave. He briefly spies on them before he goes, and he sees how much Catherine loved the attention from the Linton's. He goes back to the Heights alone, but the entire house is locked up by Hindley as punishment for being out too long. But Nelly lets him in and he tells her everything that has happened. He was also told by Hindley to never talk to Catherine again. 5 weeks later, Catherine returns as a proper lady. His reunion with her was very awkward, as he feels insulted when she criticizes his dirty, unkempt appearances, and grumbles that he likes himself the way he is. The Linton's are invited to the Heights for the Christmas holidays, but Heathcliff is not allowed to attend, and even refuses an offer by Nelly to have him dressed properly and impress Catherine. That morning, he goes out into the moors but when he comes back, he changes his mind and lets Nelly clean him up and dresses in neat, proper clothing so he can please everyone. Once the guests arrive and the celebrations begin, Hindley mocks Heathcliff's clean and neat style and orders him to be locked up in the attic. After Edgar makes fun of Heathcliff's dirty, long hair, he becomes upset and throws hot applesauce at Edgar's face, before he as taken upstairs by Hindley, beaten up, and locked inside his room, where he is visited by Catherine who came through the rafters to see him. Later that night, Heathcliff is released from his room by Nelly and taken into the kitchen, where he is given some dinner, since he hadn't eaten for about 2 days. Already fed up by Hindley's constant abuse, Heathcliff tells Nelly he is planning to take revenge on him. The following summer in 1778, Hindley's wife Frances dies from consumption after giving birth to a son named Hareton. Heathcliff feels satisfied at Hindley's suffering, especially when he starts drinking heavily; but in addition, he receives even more abuse and cruelty by him. Heathcliff's relationship with Catherine still stays the same as before and wants to spend the day with her than outside in the moors. But when he finds out that Edgar and Isabella are coming over to visit, he confronts her on her spending more time with Edgar, who she has already come closer to, and wants her to spend the day with him instead. Heathcliff storms out in disgust when Edgar arrives. But when he walks towards the main staircase, he catches Hareton after a drunk Hindley drops him over the bannister. He still had vengeance plans on Hindley, but still saved his child anyway on instinct. Later, he hears a conversation between Catherine and Nelly without being noticed. He hears that Catherine had just accepted a marriage proposal from Edgar and that she couldn't marry Heathcliff on fearing that she would degrade herself, just as how much Hindley had degraded Heathcliff. Heartbroken, furious and ashamed, he flees from the Heights and at this point, the reader nor Nelly knows what became of him during his absence. He was also unaware that as he runs away, Catherine says that she loves Heathcliff so much to the point that they share kindred spirits and are the same person. Return to Wuthering Heights 3 years later, Heathcliff returns to the Heights, and he is now a well polished and wealthy man. Exactly how he earned his wealth and power remains a mystery. By now, Catherine and Edgar are already married and living together at the Grange, where Heathcliff goes first. He is greeted by Catherine who is happy to see him after a few years, while Edgar isn't very pleased. Heathcliff stays over for tea, and says he had just received an invitation to stay at the Heights by Hindley, even though he is still plotting his revenge against him. He arrives at the Heights where he is joined by a game of cards by Hindley and his men. Heathcliff beats his opponent and wins a sum of money from him as well as finally staying at the house in exchange for rent. Heathcliff continues to see Catherine at the Grange in addition to her visiting him at the Heights. He had also met Isabella Linton, who had already took a romantic liking to him and think he's the perfect match for her. He begins his revenge against Hindley by turning his son Hareton against him. He teaches the little boy bad words and naughty behaviour, as well as cutting off his education by sending his tutor away. Whenever he goes over to the Grange, he takes more interest in seeing Isabella than Catherine and even embraces her when they were in the kitchen. He was confronted of this by Catherine if he truly had any feelings for Isabella and he simply stated to her that she had wronged him after she married Edgar and this was his plan of revenge. He is then asked to leave by Edgar, and when he refuses, Edgar summons a group of servants to remove Heathcliff. The two men were both locked up in a room by Catherine to let them confront each other alone. But the confrontation was just brief as Heathcliff is punched in the neck by Edgar and quickly leaves since he cannot challenge himself against his opponent and his group of servants. Marriage, Catherine's Death and Descending Into Madness A couple of nights later, Heathcliff whisks Isabella away from her home and the two of them elope. But when he brings her back home to the Heights, he begins inflicting abuse on her, and even his servants Joseph and Hareton began treating her cruelly. By now, Heathcliff may had found out about Catherine's illness, and in addition, he punishes Isabella for causing Catherine to become sick instead of Edgar. Nelly comes over to the Heights after Isabella begged her to come over. After she arrives, Heathcliff wanted to go see Catherine at the Grange after finding out she is dying, and he threatens to hold Nelly hostage until she agrees to bring a letter over written by him. After Edgar left for church and when Catherine receives his letter, Heathcliff goes inside the Grange and into Catherine's bedroom, where the two of them had an overwhelming, intense conversation about their lost love and never being apart again. Cathy pleads Heathcliff for forgiveness which he accepts, but cannot bear to forgive what she had done to herself, since she had killed her own self and he cannot ever forgive a murderer. Soon afterwards, Edgar returns home from church. Heathcliff prepares to leave but Catherine begs him to stay, so he does. But as Edgar enters the room, Heathcliff catches Cathy falling from her bed unconscious and places her in her husband's arms, wanting him to look after her than fight with him. Nelly escorts Heathcliff out of the bedroom and says she will tell him about Cathy tomorrow morning, but he says he will stay in the garden so he could be near her. The next day, Heathcliff receives news from Nelly that Catherine died in childbirth. He could immediately tell what had happened to his beloved and curses her for the pain she had caused and even begs her spirit to forever haunt him and drive him mad, just so they can still be together. He even bashed his head in a tree when he cries out for her spirit. Later, when Nelly lets Heathcliff into the house to see Catherine's corpse, he replaces Edgar's lock of hair with his own in her locket. After Cathy is laid to rest, Heathcliff and Hindley's conflict grows more violent, to the point where Heathcliff was locked out of the house when he went to pay his respects at Cathy's grave. When he returns, he takes Hindley's gun and shoots him in the wrist, breaks through the glass window and the two of them get into a fight. While the men quarrelled, Isabella, now pregnant with Heathcliff's child, goes over to the Grange to tell Nelly what had happened before she flees to London and gave birth to her son Linton. Heathcliff himself eventually discovered where his wife and son were, but never intended to go after them. Ownership of Wuthering Heights 6 months after Catherine's death, Hindley dies deeply in debt, and because of that, Heathcliff officially becomes the new owner of the Heights. In addition, he keeps Hareton as his own personal servant and forces him to stay at the Heights, when at the same time, he plans to take his son away from his mother. 12 years go by, and Heathcliff continues to take control of the Heights. After he hears that his son Linton was brought to the Grange after his mother's death, he becomes determined to have him in his custody and sends Joseph over to the Grange to deliver the news, so the boy was taken there the next day. But when he finally meets him, he pretendedly does not show any love or affection to Linton, even insulting his mother by calling her a "slut". His real intentions now were to use Linton to have him gain control of the Grange. But even during that time, Heathcliff constantly becomes very irritated by his son's weak, whiny voice and demands. He then begins to hate his sickly son and cannot stand to be alone with him. 3 years later, Heathcliff and Hareton were out on the moors when they spot Catherine Earnshaw's 16-year old daughter Cathy Linton going bird-hunting. The three of them begin conversing with each other, with Cathy asking Heathcliff if he is Hareton's father. He says he isn't, but he does have a son back home he would like her to meet. Personalities/Appearance Relationships Appearances adaptations/Portrayals Trivia Bibliography Category:Male characters Category:Romantic characters Category:Anti-heroes Category:Villains Category:Brontë Characters Category:Protagonists Category:Main Characters Who Die At The End